Method of packaging rolled articles



Jan. 14, 1936. c F: HAWKER 2,027,381,

METHOD OF PACKAGING ROLLED ARTICLES ("iginal Filed March 16, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 14, 1936. l

C. F. HAWKER METHOD OF PACKAGING ROLLED ARTICLES Original Filed March 16, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan. 14, 1936. c HAWKER 2,027,381

METHOD OF PACKAGING ROLLED ARTICLES Original Filed March 16, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Watented Jan. 14, 1936 I v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF PACKAGING ROLLED ARTICLES Clifford F. Hawker, Lancaster, Pa., assignor to Armstrong Cork Company, Lancaster, Pa... a corporation of Pennsylvania Original application March 18, 1932, Serial No. 599,217. Divided and this application July 24, 1934, Serial No. 736,683

10 Claims. (Cl. 93-5) This application is a division of my copending showing a crimping mechanism at the outermost application Serial No. 599,217 filed March 16, and innermost limits of its movement; and 1932. Figure a. illustrates diagrammatically the en- This invention relates to a method of packaggagement of the ends of the enclosing tube by ing rolled articles and more specifically to a the heads of the crimping mechanism.

method of packaging felt base rugs or other hard The apparatus shown in the drawings is illus- 5 'surface coverings which are substantially incomtrated in detail and described in my copending pressible in a direction parallel to the direction joint application with Benjamin F. Herr and of rolling, although my method may be employed Fred G. Rottmund, Serial No. 599,216, filed March for packaging other rolled articles. 16, 1932. 10

Rugs of the felt base type comprise a sheet of In Figure 1, the reference numeral 2 indicates felt saturated with asphalt or any suitable satuan inspection table upon which a plurality of rant, and generally have a decorative'design felt base rugs or other articles (not shown) to printed on one face thereof. Heretofore, in be packaged are stacked. The rugs are passed packaging rugs of this type, it has been necesindividually through a trademarking machine 3 15 sary to roll said rugs on a comparatively large which prints suitable indicia on the bottom surdiameter and then cover the rolled rug with an faceof the rug. A belt conveyor 4 moving over outer wrapper of paper. The rugs cannot be a pair of rolls 5 and 6 carries individual rugs rolled on a smaller diameter because of .the susfrom the trademarking machine to a pair of ceptibility of the felt and the paint to crack. pinch rolls 1 and 8. The pinch rolls 1 and 8 are In cases of felt of inferior quality, it was neceseffective to move the rug through a conditioning sary to increase the size of the roll even more chamber 9. The conditioning chamber is parthan usual. This added the disadvantage of ticularly adapted to aid in packaging rugs when non-uniform size to the other disadvantages of the temperature in the room is so low that the the completed packages. rugs are too still to be bent easily. The condi- 25 It is an object of my invention to provide a tioning chamber is heated by steam or any other method of packaging rugs of the felt base type suitable means so that therugs passing through which will result in completed packages which the chamber may be heated to approximately are relatively small and of uniform size. It is a 100 F. The amount of heat applied to the con-- 9 further object of my invention to provide a ditioning chamber will depend upon the outside method of forming a completedarug package that temperature. will have a neat appearance, willbe' zhirable, and The rug passes from the conditioning chamber will protect the rug from injury dmingkansit. 9 to a roll-up device M which consists of a suit== Other objects of my invention will become sipable frame Ii in which are mounted an upper parent upon reading the annexed specification rpll l2 and two lower rolls l3 and it. The roll 35 taken in connection with the accompanying I2 israised and a thin wooden core is placed drawings, in which between the rolls l3 and M. The roll I? is Figure 1 is an assembly layout, in diagramthen lowered so that it rides on top of the rustic form, of an apparatus which may be used core. The end of the rug to be rolled is secured 4a to carry out my method; to the core by means at a fabric apron and the i0 Figure 2 is a perspective view of my complete rolls i3 and it are driven in a counter-clockwise package; direction, as viewed in Figure l. Theroll i2 Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of which rests on top of the core, is an idler. one end of my completed rug package; and When the rug has been rolled up it is moved 4.5 Figure 4 illustratesdiagrammatically 9. rolled out of the roll-up machine by a rug expelling rug, an enclosing tube therefor and a centering device h 8 expelling d v ce includes a 'mechanism at the outermost and innermost limpair of belt conveyors I 6 and I i disposed one its of its movement; above the other with a space therebetween suf Figures 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, and 4e are diagrammatic flcient to accommodate it r l d rug and to main-- views showing various, positions of an enclosed tain it under slight compression so as to prevent 5o rolled rug with respect to the enclosing tube, and unmllinge ey s 5 and I? move the the progressive movement of the centering rolled rugo plate 8. Apair oi spring clamps mechanism; 19 engage opposite ends of the rolled. rug to Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view of the rolled prevent it from unrolling while a tube is being rug positioned centrally in the enclosing tube and placed thereover. 5g

I prefer to package the rolled rug in a paper tube 20 formed in two sections. One section of the tube is slipped over each end of the rolled rug until the two sections meet. The inner surface of the tube is oiled or waxed to facilitate sliding the sections of the tube over the rug without injuring the finish of the packaged rug. Any suitable tube may be used, but I prefer a 5-p1y paper tube because of the protection it aflords the packaged rug during shipment and subsequent handling operations. After the tube has been placed around the rolled rug 2!, the tendency of the rug to unroll causes the rug to expand slightly and to press against the walls of the tube. After this expansion, the mandrel upon which the rug has been rolled is removed and a plywood disk 22 is placed in each end of the tube. These disks are provided with a small hole 22' in the center thereof to allow the escape of air in the tube when the disks are pressed fiush against the ends of the rug.

Since the tubes are placed over the rolled article by hand it is difllcult to position the article centrally of the abutting tubes and for that reason, the rolled rug 2|, now confined in its tube 20 is placed in a centering machine 23. The centering machine comprises a pair of centering heads 24 that are'moved into the open ends of the tube 20 to press the disks 22 fiush against the ends of the rug 2i and to center the rolled rug in the tube. The centering heads 24 are rotatable, so when the tube is supported thereon a strip 25 of adhesive paper or any similar material may be applied over the Joint between the sections of the tube.

The tube and its rolled rug is then moved to a crimping machine 26. The crimping machine includes a pair of crimping heads 21 adapted to engage the ends of the tube and crimp them inwardly into beads as indicated generally at 28, Figure 3, forming abutments ll. The ends of the paper tube are oiled prior to use to lubricate them so that the ends may be turned inwardly without breaking or burning. The ends of the tube are turned inwardly and the crimping heads working simultaneously against the opposite ends of the tube force the ends against the disks 22 which have been forced into engagement with the ends of the rolled rug by the centering heads 24. The crimping action may be continued for an instant after the ends of the tube are pressed flush against the disks. This extra pressure results in the formation of a groove or depression 29 in the bead 22. The groove 29 has a reeni'orcing effect on the end of the tube and adds greatly to the rigidity of the package. The combination of the disk 22 and the inwardly crimped or beaded portion 20 of the tube forms a rigid end structure which serves to retain the rug in position within the tube, preventing any substantial longitudinal movement thereof. By crimping the ends of the tubes after positioning the article therein, the .beads 28 formed by the action of the crimping heads 21 are forced into firm engagement with the disks 22, which disks are in turn urgai into firm engagement with the rolled article 2i the disk 22 being thereby clamped between the rolled article and the bead and longitudinal movement of the article being thereby prevented.

The action of the centering and crimping mechanism of my joint application Serial No. 599.216 above referred to is illustrated in Figures 4 to u inclusive, 5 and 5a. Referring first to Figure 4, therugflandthetubeflareshownwith centering heads 24; the dotted lines indicating that normally the heads 24 move inwardly to a position with the distance between the heads being less than the length of the rolled article, and the heads must, therefore, be yieldingly urged into such position. This feature is provided because the length of the articles when rolled may vary slightly from a standard length to which the heads are normally set.

A rug 2| positioned in a non-central position within a tube 20 is shown in Figure 4a. The progressive operation of the centering heads is shown in Figures 4b, 4c, and 4d from which it will be noted that the rug is displaced with respect to the tube until it assumes a position centrally thereof as illustrated in Figure 4e, by coincidental yielding movement of the heads 24 toward each other.

In Figures 5 and 5a the crimping units 20 are diagrammatically shown in their extreme inward and outward positions of operation. The heads 21 are moved toward each other by yieldable driving means engaging the exposed edges of the tubes and turning them into a head as illustrated in Figure 541. It will be noted that the beads 28 engage the disks 22 which in turn engage the opposite ends of the rug 2i.

While I have described and illustrated the preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be I understood that the invention is not so limited but may be otherwise embodied within the scope of the following claims:

I claim:

1. In the method of packaging rolled articles which are substantially incompressible along a direction parallel to the axis of rolling and which have an axial length which may vary slightly from a standard axial length, the steps consisting in positioning a rolled article in a relatively rigid tube, positioning end disks within the tube and adiacent the ends of the article, and turning the ends of the tube inwardly into beads until the disks engage the ends of the article, regardless of its axial length.

2. In the method of packaging rolled articles substantially incompressible along a direction parallel to the axis of rolling and having an axial length which may vary slightly from a standard axial length, the steps consisting in positioning a pair of cushioning tubes about said article in abutting relationship; causing relative movement between said article and said tubes to position said article substantially centrally thereof, with portions of the tubes extending over the ends of the article; inserting reenforcing end disks into said tubes and yieldingly urging the exposed portions of said tubes inwardly and toward. the center of said tubes into beads until said disks are clamped firmly in position between the ends of the article and the beads, regardless of the axial length of the article.

3. In the method of packaging rolled articles having an axial length which may vary slightly from a standard *axiaLlefllth. the steps wnsisting in rolling said article to a diameter smaller than the inner diameter of an enclosing tube, positioning said article within said tube, permit! ting said article to expand and engage the inner surface of the tube, positioning end disks in said tube for engagement with the ends of said article and turning the ends of said tubes into beads firmly clamping said disks at said beads and at the ends of said article, regardless of the axial length of the article.

4. In the method of packaging hard surfaced floor coverings substantially incompressiblealong a direction parallel to the axis of rolling, the steps consisting in positioning a convolutely rolled hard surfaced floor covering within an enclosing tube,

positioning an end disk adjacent one end of said article and applying pressure to the end of the tube to deform the same and urge the disk into engagement with the end of the article.

5. In the method of packaging rolled articles having a tendency to telescope upon rolling, the steps consisting in positioning a tube about said article, placing an end disk in engagement with the telescoped end of the article, yieldingly applying pressure to at least one end of the article in the tube to overcome said telescoping, and thereafter closing the tube.

6. In the method of packaging rolled articles having an axial length which may vary slightly from a standard axial length, the steps consisting in applying a pair of enclosing tubes to a rolled article, causing yielding relative movement between said tubes and said article to position said article substantially centrally of said tubes, positioning substantially fiat end disks within the tubes adjacent the ends of the article and deforming a portion of each of the tubes to engage the disks and hold them against longitudinal movement and in contact with the ends of the article, regardless of its axial length.

7. In the method of packaging rolled articles substantially incompressible along a direction parallel to the axis of rolling and having an axial length which may vary slightly from a standard axial length, the steps consisting in positioning a rolled article in an enclosing tube, causing yielding relative movement between the article and. the tube to cause the article to assume a position substantially centrally of said tube, positioning end disks within said tube and applying yielding pressure simultaneously to the endsof the tube to turn a portion thereof inwardly into beads and continuing the application of pressure until the inturned portions engage'the disks and the disks engage the article, regardless of its axial length.

8. In the method of packaging hard surfaced floor coverings substantially incompressible along a direction parallel to the axis of rolling, the steps consisting in positioning a convolutely rolled hard surfaced floor covering within an enclosing tube,

positioning end disks adjacent the ends of said article, applying pressure to the ends of the tube to deform the same and urge the cut edges of the tube into engagement with the disks and the disks into engagement with the article and continuing the application of pressure for an instant thereafter to form reenforcing grooves in the deformed portions of the tube intermediate the cut surfaces and the ends of the tube.

9. In the method of packaging a roll of hard surfaced floor covering material, or like rolled ar- Y ticle, substantially incompressible along a direction parallel to its axis, in a relatively rigid, tubular housing, the steps consisting in positioning said roll within a relatively rigid, tubular housing, positioning end members within the housing and aplying rotative force simultaneously to both of the exposed ends of the housing to turn the ends thereof into inwardly and substantially axially extending flanges terminating in abutments for engagement with the end members.

10. In the method of packaging a roll of hard surfaced floor covering material or like rolled article, substantially incompressible along a direction parallel to its axis, in a relatively rigid, tubular housing, the steps consisting'in positioning said roll substantially centrally of a housing formed of a pair of tube sections, positioning an end member within the housing adjacent an end of said roll and applying rotative force to the end of the tube section adjacent the said end of the roll and continuing the application of such force until an inwardly turned, substantially axially ex- 

